Contact
by Dr-J33
Summary: Set in the same post Class E AU as Reconnect. Sugino has been away from his home country for many years. Upon returning home for a vacation he runs into his longtime crush and sees that things can change with time.
1. Prolouge

It was surprising how the old Class 3E building was holding up. Inside the old building, the former classmates of 3E were throwing a reunion party; bringing everyone back together to celebrate their recent graduation from their high schools. Sitting by the front door way were two of these former classmates who were not partying with the others, Tomohito Sugino and Yukiko Kanzaki.

"So you're going to nursing college." Said Sugino.

"Yeah, I got into a good college down in the city." Said Kanzaki. "They even gave me a scholarship."

"That's great." Said Sugino

"You should see the campus." Kanzaki continued. "I'll have to show you around when you and the others visit."

Sugino nervously rubbed the back of his neck.

"About that... I got scouted by a college up north for baseball." Said Sugino. "It's fairly popular and sometimes scouts from America visit."

Sugino sighed.

"I won't be able to visit you as much..."

"You shouldn't feel sad." Said Kanzaki. "We're both following our dreams and that's what matters."

She smiled warmly at Sugino.

"We'll definitely see each other again."

Sugino blushed and smiled back.

"Of course."

"Hey!" A voice shouted. "Come on back in, Isogai is going to give a speech!"

"Alright!" Sugino shouted back.

The two made their way towards the classroom together. But what neither knew was that it would be the last time they would see each other for a long time.

* * *

 **There are not enough fanfics about Sugino and Kanzaki so I thought I'd help remedy this.**


	2. Homecoming

As the bus came to a halt and its doors opened, a black-haired man grabbed his bag and adjusted his baseball cap.

"It's good to be back." He muttered to himself.

The man got off the bus and looked around the busy city. Everyone was too busy with their own business to realize that there was a celebrity among them; the major league baseball player Tomohito Sugino.

Sugino made his way down the street, smiling as he thought of the things he planned to do. The baseball season was over for the year and Sugino had decided to spend the off season in his home country of Japan.

"It's been ages since I've seen everyone." Thought Sugino. "I should message Nagisa and see if we can hang out like old times, maybe I'll visit Isogai, Kimura, and some of the others..."

Sugino wasted no time in pulling out his phone and opening up his contacts.

"Lets see... It's Saturday so Nagisa might be free tomorrow for lunch..." Thought Sugino. "Yeah, it'll be great! Just like old-"

Sugino didn't see where he was going and bumped into something. Sugino stumbled back and looked up from his phone. Standing in front of him was an elderly man in a hospital gown-like garment.

"Oh, I'm so sorry!" Said Sugino. "I didn't see you there-"

"Chouji is that you?"

Sugino raised an eyebrow.

"Eh?"

"Chouji don't you recognize yer own grandpa!?" Said the old man. "Come give your papi a hug!"

"Sir theres been a mistake. I'm not your grandson."

"Oh... THEN YOU MUST BE YUJI ICHIMAKU FROM HIGH SCHOOL!"

He pointed a finger angrily at Sugino, who noticed a paper armband on his arm that had writing on it.

 _Quiet Nests Elder Home_ , along with an address, most likely the facility's.

"Did he wander out of a care facility?" Thought Sugino.

"You stole my date to the dance!" The old man continued. "And you still owe me 50 yen!"

An idea popped into the athlete's head.

"Um... I have your 50 yen." Said Sugino.

"Well give it here!"

Sugino gently grabbed the man's arm.

"I left it at the retirement home." Continued Sugino as he gently grabbed the man's arm. "Lets go."

"Oh alright... Whoever you are."

Sugino led the man down the street, towards the address written on his armband.

* * *

Sugino led the man inside the Quiet Nests Elder Home.

"And that's how Japan won World War 2." Said the old man.

"Wow amazing..." Said Sugino sarcastically.

There was a receptionist at the desk who got up the moment she saw the old man and ran towards him.

"Oh there you are Mr. Akabyashi!" Said the Receptionist. "We've been looking all over for you!"

The receptionist called over a nearby nurse who took away as he rambled on about a communist neighbor he claimed to have.

"Thank you so much for bringing him back sir," said the Receptionist. "For a moment we were worried was going to wander into traffic or something."

"No problem." Said Sugino." I'm glad to help."

The receptionist looked at Sugino intently.

"Wait a second, aren't you Sugino Tomohito? the baseball player?"

Sugino smiled and rubbed the back of his neck.

"The one and only."

"Wow, my dad is a big fan." Said the Receptionist as she took out her phone. "Could I get a quick pic?"

"Oh of course."

They got into a quick pose as the receptionist took a picture.

"Thanks a bunch! Dad will never believe this."

The receptionist walked back to her desk as Sugino adjusted his bag.

"I might as well call Nagisa now." Muttered Sugino

He took out his phone, dialed the blunette's number and pressed send. The phone rang for a few seconds before someone picked up.

"Nagisa here."

"So hows the teaching?" Asked Sugino

"... Sugino!?"

"Yeah its me."

"Sugino, its been ages!" said Nagisa excitedly "How are you?"

"Great," He replied. "I was calling you because I'm back in Japan and I wanted to see if we could hang out tomorrow."

"You're back in Japan!? Thats great!" Said Nagisa. "We can definitely meet up tomorrow."

"Great, any suggestions on what to do?" Asked Sugino.

"We could hit a sushi bar." Suggested Nagisa. "Or we could also just chill at my place, oh! What about the batting cages?"

"All of those sound-"

Sugino looked up for a brief moment and froze.

Standing across the room from him was a black haired woman with golden eyes dressed in a nurse's uniform, her slender hands holding a clipboard. It had been several years since Sugino had seen this woman, all the way back in high school. She saw him too, and the expression on her face matched the one on his own,

Shock

"...Sugino?"

"...Kanzaki?"

"Sugino? You still there?" Nagisa asked over the phone.

"I'll call you back." Said Sugino.

Sugino hung up.

* * *

 **Thanks to Autistic Grizzly and d00dlequeen15 for beta reading this story.**


	3. Catch up

"It's been far too long." Said Sugino.

"I think the last time we saw each other was... When we had that Class E reunion back in high school."

The two former classmates were seated on a bench outside the Elder Care facility by a vending machine. Kanzaki was just getting out of her shift when the two met so they decided to sit down and catch up.

"So you're back in Japan for a while." Said Kanzaki. "Funny how we ran into eachother."

"Yeah..." Said Sugino. "I see you got into elder care."

"It's been my dream." Said Kanzaki. "And I know you reached yours."

Kanzaki took a sip of canned green tea.

"People didn't believe me when I told them I was friends with Slithery Sugino."

Sugino smiled and looked at Kanzaki's face.

She was just as beautiful now as she was in Middle School. Although she looked like she gained a pound or two, she was still the most beautiful girl he had ever laid his eyes on. And it took every fiber of his being to keep himself composed around her.

"So do you know where you'll be staying?" Asked Kanzaki.

"Oh, I was going to book a room at the fancy hotel downtown." Said Sugino. "I stayed there before and I liked it. You should see the rooms there, very fancy."

"You'll have to show them to me sometime." Said Kanzaki. "The rooms."

"Oh sure." Said Sugino.

"YES!" Thought Sugino. "Kanzaki wants to see my hotel!"

Kanzaki finished her beverage and got up.

"Well I better be getting home."

"I'll walk with you." Said Sugino.

"That sounds nice." Said Kanzaki. "I'll lead the way."

The two got up and walked down the street.

* * *

The pair walked passed a park as Sugino suddenly stopped.

"Just a sec." Said Sugino. "I need to use the toilet."

"Go ahead." Said Kanzaki. "I'll wait right here."

Sugino walked into the men's restroom and did his business. As he finished washing his hands his phone rang. Sugino took it out and answered it.

"Sugino here."

"Sugino what the heck happened earlier?" Asked a voice he knew as Nagisa's. "You just hung up on me."

"Oh, sorry about that." Said Sugino. "But you'll never guess who I ran into!"

"Who?"

"Kanzaki! I ran into her at the elder care facility she was working at and right now I'm walking her home, but the best part is she's still as lovely as ever!"

The line went silent for a moment.

"Nagisa?"

"You... Met Kanzaki?"

"Yeah I'm walking her home actually." Said Sugino. "Why? You sound strange..."

"Sugino, nobody has spoken to Kanzaki in six years."

Sugino nearly dropped his phone as his brain processed the information.

"S-Six years!?"

"One day she stopped returning everyone's calls, moved out of her apartment, and seemingly cut all ties with Class E." said Nagisa. "Even Kayano and Okuda haven't been able to reach her."

"Any idea why?" Asked Sugino.

"No clue..." Said Nagisa. "If you could find out why she hasn't talked to us-"

"Oh I'll let you guys know." Said Sugino. "I gotta go, talk to you later."

Sugino ended the call and walked out of the bathroom. He noticed that Kanzaki was leaning against the bathroom wall outside, waiting for him.

"Ready to go?"

"Yeah." Said Sugino.

The pair continued walking.

* * *

They came upon a traditional looking apartment building.

"Here it is." Said Kanzaki. "My humble abode."

"Not bad." Said Sugino. "At least from the outside."

Kanzaki smiled.

"The inside is just as nice."

Sugino smiled back at Kanzaki.

"I bet it is..."

"Would you like to stay for dinner?" Asked Kanzaki. "I'm making curry."

"Oh if it's no trouble." Said Sugino.

"Oh it's no trouble at all." Said Kanzaki. "I haven't had company over in awhile."

"I GET TO EAT KANZAKI'S COOKING TOO!? YES!" Thought Sugino.

"I'll take you up on that offer then." Said Sugino.

They both made their way to the apartment door while Kanzaki took out a house key.

"I'm sure it's not as lavish as your hotel, but here it is." Said Kanzaki.

She unlocked the door and opened it, stepping inside. Sugino followed ..

The door led to a medium sized living area which looked very well kept, almost glistening given how clean it was.

"Wow, Kanzaki this place is so clean." Said Sugino.

Kanzaki blushed lightly.

"I like to make sure everything is spotless." Said Kanzaki. "My son has a dust allergy so I kind of have to keep things neat and tidy."

"Oh well you do a really good jo- wait your son?"

"MOMMY!"

Sugino saw a young boy, five years old run out of a nearby room and rush over to Kanzaki.

"Oh Toru, did you have a good day at school?" Asked Kanzaki.

The boy Toru nodded his head.

"That's good to hear."

She patted Toru on the head.

"Oh Sugino, this is my son Toru." Said Kanzaki. "Toru, this is one of Mommy's old friends from school, Sugino."

"Hi!" The child greeted.

Sugino's facial expression was a mix of shock and horror.

"Wh-what?"


	4. Perfect Life

Sugino sat watching TV with Toru while Kanzaki cooked in the nearby kitchen.

"She has a kid..." Thought Sugino. "I should have expected this, I mean a girl like Kanzaki, single at this age?"

He took a look at Toru. The boy had Kanzaki's facial structure and her natural raven colored hair, which was cut short. His eyes were a bright blue, a shade lighter than Sugino's which were focused on the anime that was playing on TV.

"So you're a mother..." Said Sugino.

Kanzaki nodded as she turned on the rice cooker.

"I had Toru five years ago." Said Kanzaki.

"Wonder if this has anything to do with her cutting ties with Class E." Thought Sugino. "Like maybe she's too busy raising him to keep in touch with the rest of the class.

"So are you married then?" Asked Sugino.

Kanzaki turned to the stove and started preparing the curry.

"No, I haven't married yet."

"A CHILD OUT OF WEDLOCK?!" Thought Sugino. "WHAT HAPPENED KANZAKI MY BEAUTIFUL ANGEL!?"

Toru laughed as one of the characters in his show hit another.

Sugino turned his attention back to the TV and sighed internally.

"Watching anime with my crush's son while she makes us both dinner..." Thought Sugino "Not how I thought this day was going to go."

* * *

Sugino's sour mood was instantly sweetened when he took a bite of Kanzaki's curry. For Sugino, to say it was good was an understatement, for him it tasted like fairy dust and happiness.

"It tastes like heaven..." Thought Sugino

"This is great." Said Sugino.

"Thanks." Said Kanzaki.

Sugino continued to eat as he looked around the room, noting how the apartment was of a higher quality of what he had previously expected.

"How much does this place cost anyways?" Asked Sugino.

"A little above average." Replied Kanzaki.

She took a sip of water before continuing.

"My job pays fairly well so I can afford luxuries like these."

"I know that feeling." Said Sugino. "With the money I make every season I could have two houses. I was actually thinking of buying a home in Japan, so I don't need to rent a hotel room every time I come back."

"Not a bad idea." Said Kanzaki. "I know the paper had some properties listed for sale."

"I'll take a look at those sometime." Said Sugino.

The rest of the meal consisted of light conversation and Toru talking about his day at school.

* * *

When dinner was done, Sugino helped Kanzaki clean the dishes.

"You really don't have to do this." Said Kanzaki. "I can handle the dishes myself."

"It's the least I could do after you made me dinner." Said Sugino. "I won't take no for an answer."

Kanzaki smiled at Sugino.

"Alright then."

Sugino continued to scrub dishes while he thought about Kanzaki's home life.

"She's doing really good for herself." Thought Sugino. "She's successful, happy, and still gorgeous. It's like her life is... Perfect."

Just then, Kanzaki's cell phone momentarily vibrated on the counter, signaling that she received a text message.

"Could you check that for me?" Asked Kanzaki.

Sugino nodded and looked at her phone.

"He's coming." Read Sugino. "What does tha-"

A loud crash interupted Sugino. Kanzaki had dropped the plate she was washing and it shattered on the floor. Toru looked up from the show he was watching and looked at Kanzaki with concern.

"Mommy... Is he coming?"

Kanzaki turned to look at Toru. As she did, Sugino was able to see the look of horror on her face; an expression he had never once seen on Kanzaki.

"Turn off the TV and go to your room. I'll meet you there."

Toru wasted no time shutting the TV off and running down the hall. Kanzaki ran over to the door, locked it, and shut off the lights.

"Into the room now!" She said.

She ran down the hall with the confused baseball player following as they entered Toru's bedroom. Kanzaki slammed the door, locked it, and shut off the lights, pulling the window's shades down as she sat by the bed and held her son close.

"Sugino get down." She whispered.

Sugino sat down next to them and looked at her with a confused look on his face..

"Kanzaki what's going on?" Asked Sugino "Who is coming?"

Kanzaki looked at Sugino with a terrified look uncharacteristic of the girl he had feelings for. The raven-haired woman was speechless. Toru looked up at Sugino and spoke two simple words.

"My father..." Whispered Toru.

Just then they heard a loud banging from the kitchen followed by a loud voice.

"Yukiko open the door, please!"

The banging continued along with the yelling.

"I know you're home! So open this please, door right now!"

"Toru's father?" Thought Sugino "Does that mean this guy is-"

Sugino was interrupted as he heard the sound of glass breaking.

"THAT WAS YOUR WINDOW!" Shouted the voice. "WHEN I GET INSIDE I'M GOING TO BREAK MORE THAN THAT!"

The voice continued to shout expletives as Kanzaki covered Toru's ears and cried. Sugino looked at her in shock. The cool, composed girl he loved was turning into a broken, trembling mess right in front of him. Only one thing went through Sugino's mind as he watched his crush sob uncontrollably.

"What the hell?"

* * *

 **I bet nobody saw this coming.**

 **Also content warning, the next chapter has mentions of domestic abuse, so if you are sensitive to that sort of content, this would be the time to stop reading.**


	5. What Went Wrong

Two minutes later, things quieted down.

Five minutes later, they turned the lights back on and Kanzaki patched up the hole in the window with a newspaper.

Ten minutes later, Kanzaki sent Toru to bed and brewed a pot of tea for her and Sugino. They sat at the coffee table drinking it as Kanzaki spoke.

"That was my former fiance." Said Kanzaki. "He's the son of one of my dad's old friends...They set us up thinking we'd be a cute couple..."

Kanzaki let a weak smile form on her face.

"We were... At least on the outside... He was a good guy at first, charming, polite, very charismatic. The definition of a gentleman."

"Kanzaki." Said Sugino. "If this is too much for you-"

"No, It's okay." Said Kanzaki. "...Actually no... It's not okay... But I need to tell you... After what you saw... What you heard... You deserve an explanation."

She took a long sip of her tea.

"The first red flag was when he separated me from my friends... The girls from Class E." Kanzaki continued. "Their contacts disappeared from my phone and whenever I was supposed to meet up with them he'd take me on lavish dates... I didn't realize what he was doing until it was too late..."

Sugino took a sip of his tea and Kanzaki tapped her fingers against her own cup.

"Then he moved in with me... He wasn't a bad roommate per say... He paid his rent, cleaned up after himself... But he got angry easily...Veryeasily..."

Sugino noticed that Kanzaki had scars on her arms that weren't there the last time they saw each other back in high school. Kanzaki set down her drink and continued.

"And when he got angry, he got violent. So then I'd have to defend myself... Sometimes I'd lose, but sometimes I'd win."

Sugino felt something snap in his head.

"He didn't like me leaving the house either." Kanzaki continued. "He treated me like I was an object... A cute doll that was meant to be behind a big glass box... That's not a good comparison..."

"Why not?"

"Because you put a doll in a glass box to keep it from getting damaged... He wasn't afraid to damage the doll."

Sugino felt tears welling up in his eyes, but he managed to hold them back through sheer will power. The same couldn't be said for his emotions.

"Why did you put up with him!?" Asked Sugino. "You're tough Kanzaki, you should have kicked his ass!"

"I tried to once," Said Kanzaki. "Which is how I got this."

Kanzaki lifted up her shirt to reveal a scar on her stomach.

"He stabbed me the day before Toru was born... Any further to the left and he would have hit the baby... That should have been the last straw... But it wasn't."

"Why Kanzaki?" Asked Sugino "Why did you keep putting up with him after all that? Why did you stay with him!?"

"I... Loved him." Said Kanzaki reluctantly.

If Sugino had heard those words half an hour earlier it would have broken his heart into a million pieces, but the crushing heartbreak he would have normally had was replaced with something else; curiosity and anger.

"I tried to see the good in him." said Kanzaki "The man he was before he moved in... The one who'd pay for a stranger's dinner if they were short on the bill; the man who fell asleep next to me watching kung fu movies; the man who fathered our child... God our child...Toru kept me going..."

Kanzaki clenched her fists as Sugino took a sip of his tea.

"The last straw was when he hit Toru."

Sugino spit out his sip of tea immediately.

"Wh-what? He...hit Toru?"

Kanzaki nodded.

"I came home from work late one day and saw him punch our son. He took his anger out on him because I wasn't home. The man I loved would never hit a child, especially not his own... not in a million years..."

Kanzaki clenched her fists tighter.

"It was the only time since middle school that I put my assassin training to good use." Kanzaki continued. "I stabbed him, kicked him out, and changed my address. I even told my father what he did... Needless to say our parents are no longer friends. I reported him to the police but... He had connections..."

Kanzaki sighed.

"But every week he comes by to harass me and tries to break in... My landlord lives down the road, she always sees him come by so I get a warning ahead of time...he's never gotten in once... I could fight back, I should fight back, but whenever I hear his voice... My mind just thinks about all he horrible things he's done and... And..."

Kanzaki started to cry.

"Kanzaki?"

"I'm sorry Sugino. You got caught up in this because of me..."

"It's not your fault."

"EVERYTHING IS MY FAULT!" She shouted

Sugino recoiled at Kanzaki's sudden outburst.

"It's my fault for not realizing what was happening... My fault for letting him get away with it for so long... It's my fault for even agreeing to date him!"

Kanzaki began to shake as Sugino looked at her with concern.

"I never should have let that man into my life." Said Kanzaki. "I didn't know he'd destroy it..."

She buried her head in her hands and sobbed; The calm angelic presence she usually displayed broken as her true emotions showed themselves.

"I miss my friends... I miss not having to worry every night... I miss being able to stop by the arcade after work... I miss my life!"

Kanzaki completely broke down and cried even harder, Sugino looking on in shock.

"My god what happened to you Kanzaki," thought Sugino. "You're stronger than this..."

Sugino got up and walked over to Kanzaki. He pulled the broken girl close and held her tight, letting her cry on to his shirt.

"You went through so much..." Said Sugino. "But you never gave up... Even when he did those horrible things... The fact that you could endure everything he threw at you shows how strong you are..."

Sugino tightened his grip.

"You are anything but weak."

Kanzaki shut her eyes and smiled.

"Thank you..."

"For what?"

"For being here... For... listening"

"Anything for you Kanzaki," said Sugino.

Kanzaki opened her eyes and wiped her remaining tears away onto her sleeve.

 _BANG BANG BANG_

Their attention shifted to the door as a powerful knock sounded through the house.

"I know you're there Kanzaki!"

"Oh god... He's back..." Muttered Kanzaki. "He never comes twice in one night!"

"I see the light on Kanzaki so OPEN THE DAMN DOOR!"

There was another loud thump on the door.

"I just want to see my son and his lovely mother!"

Sugino felt Kanzaki shake in his arms, genuinely terrified at the voice coming from behind the door.

* * *

 **Well that was probably the darkest thing I've ever written.**

 **The day I finished this story, Irraydiance published the translation for Kanzaki's Graduation Album profile on Tumblr. Under the student comments section there was a comment by Hara that jumped out at me immediately**

 **"Kanzaki-san, mommy is worried you might get involved with someone horrible. I hope you can find someone who's nice! (Hara)"**

 **Thanks Hara for inadvertently foreshadowing this story.**

 **Also this is most likely going to be my last update** **until school starts Monday.**


	6. Monster

"... No more." Muttered Sugino.

He got up and walked over to his bag. Unzipping it, he pulled a single object out of it; a long metal baseball bat.

"Wh-What are you doing." Asked Kanzaki.

She already knew the answer but the question came anyways. Sugino paused and looked at his own blurry reflection in the bat before replying.

"I'm ending this once and for all," said Sugino. "Stay here."

"Sugino don't," insisted Kanzaki. "You're a celebrity, your reputation would be-"

"I don't care." Said Sugino. "You're my friend. And nobody hurts my friends."

Sugino walked over to the door and quickly opened it. Behind it was a man his age with dark brown hair, wearing a blue button up shirt with a pair of dress pants, and a thin beard that covered his chin.

"Yukiko get out here and-"

Sugino wasted no time. He swung the bat at him, knocking out a tooth and sending him onto the ground.

"Gah! The hell!?"

The man got to his feet and looked at Sugino.

"Aren't you that baseball player? Slippery Sugino" Asked the man. "The hell are you doing-"

Sugino hit him again, this time in the chest.

"Shut the hell up you piece of trash!"

Before Sugino could swing again, the man punched him in the stomach and grabbed him, pinning the baseball player to the wall.

"Just what has my fiancé been up to since I left?" He asked sarcastically. "Inviting strange men into the house, locking the doors, pushing away the love of her life."

He punched Sugino in the face twice.

"I'm getting real fed up with this crap!"

He took out a pocket knife and held its blade against Sugino's throat.

"You trying to put the moves on my woman?"

"She's not your woman... She's not your anything!"

Sugino struggled against the man's grip, but could not break free of it.

"So that's how it is... Good, I was hoping to-"

The man was interrupted when Kanzaki hit him over the head with Sugino's bat, knocking him down. The man smiled devilishly as Kanzaki glared daggers at the man who had caused her so much pain.

"Yukiko, it's been awhile."

"Don't you dare say my name," Kanzaki muttered sternly. "You have no right to be here."

"I'm entitled to see Toru." The man said.

"You lost that privilege when you gave him a black eye."

"Making a big deal out of a black eye," said the man. "I mean It's nothing compared to what I did to you and you never complained, and remember when you stabbed me? That's a little worse than a black eye too don't you think?"

"You deserved it."

"Oh Yuki, darling, I missed you."

He smirked.

"But I'm not missing again!"

The man lunged at Kanzaki to stab her, only for Sugino to get in between the two and take the blade into his shoulder.

"Gah!"

"Outta my way punk!" He shouted.

He twisted the knife, sending Sugino to his knees in pain.

"Sugino!" Kanzaki shouted.

Sugino cringed as blood seeped out of his wound and stained his shirt, the wet and warm fabric beginning stick to his skin.

"Look at you, taking the knife like you're her knight in shining armor or something," said the man. "How cliche."

Sugino pushed the man back and held his wound, the knife still stuck into it.

"You're a monster..." Sugino grunted.

"No, the real monster is the guy who won't let a man see his own family-"

The man paused and smiled.

"Oh hey kiddo."

Sugino and Kanzaki turned their attention to the doorway. Standing in shock was Toru, dressed in his pajamas and frozen in fear.

"Toru!?"

"Look at how you've grown." The man continued with a foul grin. "You're looking more like your father these days."

"I-It's you..."

"Why don't you come over here and give your old man a hug."

"... Mom said you're a bad man..." Said Toru. "That you hurt people..."

"Did she say that?" Asked the man.

He looked at Kanzaki with a sinister grin. His look sent a chill down her spin, but she managed to hide it. She has seen that grin plenty of times before, moments before the beatings would begin.

"Guess Daddy has to teach Mommy a lesson about lying!"

Sugino pulled the knife out of his shoulder and rushed at the man. He managed to catch the man off guard and stuck the blade into his arm.

"I won't let you touch-"

The man punched Sugino with enough force to knock him back.

"Damn... Surprised me."

Sugino groaned and glared at the man.

"I see how it is," said the man. "You're trying to be the hero for Yuki. You think that because you're standing up to me she'll fall for you, that it? How selfish of you."

Kanzaki clenched the bat tighter.

"Toru... Close your eyes..."

The child nodded and covered his eyes.

Kanzaki approached the man and wacked her ex across the face with the bat.

"Gah! Yukiko you-

Kanzaki hit him again, and again, and again, each with more force than the last.

"Ow!-Yukiko!-Ow!-Stop this!-Ow!"

"Stay away from my friends, my family, AND ME!" Kanzaki screamed with anger.

With one final swing she hit him with the bat, sending him tumbling backwards with a sickening crack. Something broke; nobody knew what. The man got to his feet and glared at Kanzaki.

"Bitch!" Shouted the man "You're getting rid of the best thing that's ever happened to you! I hope you realize that!"

He turned to look at Toru as blood dripped from his forehead.

"Take a good look son! This is what happens when a man doesn't keep his family in check! Never forget that!"

His head turned to face Sugino.

"And you. If you want her so bad, keep her. She was a handful anyways."

He limped away from the apartment clutching his head as Kanzaki looked down at the now bloodied bat.

"He's gone..."

Sugino tried to get back on his feet, but the pain made it hard for him

"Sugino, you're hurt."

"Yeah, but the important thing is that you're okay and he won't be coming back."

Kanzaki helped Sugino to his feet and looked at Toru.

"Toru, go back to bed and stay there."

Toru nodded and hurried back inside.

"Come on, there are some medical supplies in my room."

Kanzaki helped her former classmate inside and shut the door.

* * *

 **Well that's the end of the dark part of the story. Theres two chapters left, one of which is an epilogue.**

 **Also I think I'm getting out of my creative slump. I had an idea for a story that came from a twitter picture. Not saying any more than that. I also started planning something fairly complex, but I'd rather partner up with someone to actually create that fic and it's still in the bare bones planning stage so no promises**


	7. Until We Meet Again

Normally being topless in Kanzaki's bedroom would be embarrassing, but the circumstances were different. Kanzaki was bandaging his wounds as the baseball player looked around. Her room was well kept (no surprise) and the walls were decorated with picture frames; some contained pictures of her and her parents, others had pictures of just her and Toru, but most of them were from their time in the E Class.

"You have a lot of pictures." said Sugino.

"When we lived together, my Fiancé wouldn't let me put up any pictures." said Kanzaki as she wrapped a gauze around his shoulder. "Once he left, I wanted to surround myself with family and friends... So I dug up some albums along with the yearbook sensei made for us and redecorated."

Sugino felt himself smile as he looked at all the nostalgic pictures of class 3E.

"Brings back some good memories." said Sugino.

"That was the idea." replied Kanzaki.

Kanzaki finished bandaging Sugino's wound and smiled.

"That'll do it."

Sugino got to his feet and saw one photograph on the wall that caught his attention. It was a picture of him and Kanzaki, taken after the baseball game they had with the main campus. They were both smiling but Sugino could tell he was blushing in the picture. It reminded him of the old days, when his crush on Kanzaki was just forming, how he wanted her all to himself.

All to himself.

"I'm no better than him aren't I?" thought Sugino. "In the end everything I did was because I loved her... Because I wanted to be with her..."

"Oh, remember that day?" asked Kanzaki, "When we-"

"Kanzaki..." began Sugino. "I don't think I've changed as much as I thought I had..."

"What do you mean?"

"Your ex... He wasn't completely wrong..."

"What are you-"

"I'm a selfish man who wants you all to myself..."

Sugino looked at Kanzaki, tears beginning to form in his eyes.

"Kanzaki I love you."

The blush that formed on both of their faces was red enough to make a lobster green with envy. Kanzaki simply stared at Sugino in silence, eyes wide like a deer caught in the headlights.

"Wh-What?"

"It's stupid I know..." said Sugino. "But you were always smart, nice, and pretty too... You still are... I should have moved on years ago... But I never did..."

"Sugino? Why are you telling me this?"

"I feel like I had to let you know." said Sugino "After what just happened, what I saw, what I did... I did all of that because deep down I still love you and held on to some vague hope that you'd love me back... I don't deserve your kindness, because deep down I'm not that different from him... We both wanted you to ourselves..."

Sugino sat down on her bed and looked at the floor.

"I know you've been through a lot." said Sugino. "And the last thing you'd want right now is a relationship..."

"You aren't wrong." said Kanzaki

"And I probably just soured your entire night too, bringing up a love confession right after dealing with your ex..."

"..."

"If you want, I can leave now... Forever if you really feel like it..."

"Don't go."

"Eh?"

Kanzaki sat down next to Sugino.

"So what if everything you did was because you loved me, that's a good thing." said Kanzaki. "It shows how much I mean to you... And believe me I haven't meant anything to anyone in a long time."

"Kanzaki..."

"The past few years have been hell for me." said Kanzaki. "The worst of my life... But I want to move past it. Fighting back against my fiancé was the first step... The second is getting back what I lost... My friends... My hobbies... The ability to love somebody again."

She took Sugino's hand into her own.

"I'm not ready for a relationship... But when I am, you'll be the one I go to... You are nothing like that man... You're kind, gentle, caring, and if you hadn't left to go to that other university... I think we would have ended up as a couple."

Kanzaki's grip on Sugino's hand tightened.

"Think of this as a promise, a promise that when I'm ready... We can be together."

Sugino's inner middle schooler was freaking out in joy, but the real Sugino simply smiled at Kanzaki.

"I look forward to it."

Kanzaki smiled back.

"But until then, the least I can do for you after everything you've done is this."

Kanzaki pulled Sugino into a deep kiss.

"OHMYGODKANZAKIISKISSINGMEAMIDREAMINGITHINKIMDREAMINGNEVERWAKEMEUP!" thought Sugino.

It was too much for the baseball player, his face began to heat up and he suddenly lost consciousness. Noticing that he had stopped moving, Kanzaki broke the kiss and looked at Sugino.

"Eh? Sugino?"

* * *

The following morning, Sugino stood outside the apartment with Kanzaki and Toru.

"If you ever need me, just call." said Sugino.

"Of course." said Kanzaki

"And I'll get everyone's numbers from Nagisa, so you can get back in touch with them."

"Will you come by for dinner tonight?" asked Toru.

Sugino bent down and tousled the child's hair.

"Not tonight... But you'll see me again very soon."

He got back up and looked one last time at Kanzaki.

"Thanks for having me."

"No, thank you for being here."

With that the two parted ways, but it would not be the last time they'd meet.

* * *

Nagisa sat on a bench looking over his student's homework as he waited for Sugino.

"The capital of Italy is not Zeppelli Tetsuo." Muttered Nagisa "I'll have to tutor him after class tomorrow."

"Oye! Nagisa!"

Nagisa looked up excitedly.

"Sugino! Long time no- OH MY GOD YOUR EYE!"

Sugino came to a stop near Nagisa and remembered that his eye was still blackened.

"Oh, I got into a bit of a scuffle last night." Said Sugino.

"A scuffle?! What were you doing!?" asked Nagisa "Did it involve Kanzaki!?"

Sugino smiled and rubbed the back of his neck.

"It's a long story..."

* * *

 **And this story is just about done. I'll have the epilogue up in a few days so keep an eye out for it.**


	8. Epilogue

Kanzaki smiled as she checked her phone's messages. Okano had texted everyone a picture of Maehara holding their newborn son, Tamaki.

"He looks so much like his father." Thought Kanzaki.

She looked down next to her, where Toru was kicking his feet.

They were both sitting at the bus stop, waiting for a bus.

"How much longer until Dad gets here?" He asked impatiently.

"Any minute." said Kanzaki

Toru frowned and looked at his feet.

"Hey, I want to see him too..." said Kanzaki.

They didn't have to wait long, because the bus Immediately pulled in and opened it's door, letting off a single passenger."

"Dad!"

Toru bolted off the bench and ran over to the departed passenger, who looked down and smiled at the child.

"Hey there."

He tousled his hair and looked at Kanzaki as she approached him. They both smiled at each other.

"Long time no see Tomohito..."

* * *

"Too long Yukiko... Too long."

Kanzaki offered Sugino her hand and he took it into his own as the three walked away from the bus stop, towards home.

 **So now it's over for real. Thanks again to everyone who stuck with the story up until the end.**

 **And thanks to Doodlequeen and AutisticGrizzly for beta reading this story.**

 **I want to write two more stories set in this post class E AU, one of which is finished and the other I can't seem to get started on. I want it to be different than the other three but it's tough.**

 **I also have another Sugizaki story in the works that you will most likely see before the year ends. Additionally I have another potential story in the works, but with that one I'm currently just writing scenes of it to generate interest.**

 **So until next time, I'll hopefully see you all then.**


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